28 Answers

I would keep windows up just to be on the safe side. Not sure specifically about this area. I know we (my family) go to Upper East Side, uptown (CP near the Met), West Village, etc. without fear of problems, but that’s Manhattan.

I’m not sure about Queens.

From what I know about Queens, what I read about what’s there (multicultural food places, Indian fabric stores, etc.),it’s a lot of fast driving on long boulevards with lots of traffic and people crossing. All the time, when I hear about people getting hit-and-run, it’s Queens for some reason. They’re probably speeding down these boulevards and meantime, people are crossing. If I’m not mistaken, I heard that the place in the city where there are the highest rate of pedestrians getting hit by autos is in Queens.

Tell him just be careful driving and if possible, keep windows up and watch for pedestrians and delivery bikes. Also, taxi drivers are maniacs everywhere you go. I assume his car will have AC and automatic locks.

Yes. He will have locked doors and windows. That area does not appear to have fast boulevards. It has o sidewalks or sewers. Cars are everywhere. One website said it looks like a post Apocalypse New York City, Forgotten NY

I just went on NY Times websites and searched for it. I see from the search results that it’s auto repair shops and stuff like that. I am just curious what is it about the area that makes him want to spend a Sunday there, since it doesn’t sound particularly incredible.

There are pockets of this sort of thing all over, though I think most of them usually have sewers. Looks a lot like parts of eastern and southern Bronx and Jersey City. I would not personally feel uncomfortable or wary driving through, though I would not bike or walk it without my big scary-looking dog.

I am also curious about why he thinks it would be worth a visit. Is he a photographer?

@LuckyGuy: I bet if he goes to one of the boulevards in the multicultural section, he can get some great Indian food and probably find some Indian fabric stores where, if he or his family is into it, he can get some beautiful imported fabrics.

If I were him I would take a ride into NYC and cruise around there, too. Central Park on a day like today will be an awesome place to hang. Also, the Met admission fee is a “suggested price” which means you can really pay what you want. Been there, done that.

Going by the pictures on that Forgotten NY article the place doesn’t look that bad. Run down and kinda dumpy sure, but there’s nothing scary about it. Why are people so intimidated by places that aren’t small town USA or Disneyfied touristy urban areas?

He survived.. He said the roads were torn up and peppered with potholes filled with rain water. It was very crowded with cars in various states of disrepair being either driven in or driven out of shops on both sides of the road.
His favorite building was made by stacking and welding 6 forty foot long shipping containers together. “How is that place legal?” He’ll send pictures.

Use Google maps and search for 126–53 Willets Point Blvd. Corona NY 11368. then go to street view. Look directly west. You will see the building (there is a yellow awning out front and a small, black car with its backup lights on coming out of one of the containers.
In the picture you can see a UPS truck a little to the south. Incredible.

@LuckyGuy Thanks for the instructions. What a crazy building. It’s also pretty odd that there is the baseball stadium right there and then directly across the street is all this.Found another shipping container building at 127–41-127–99 Willets Point Blvd

He said there were others. It looked like something from an old Mad Max movie.
Apparently there is a trade imbalance in shipping containers. China sends the US more stuff than the US exports. Containers can be had for $700! A standard container is 40 ft long, 8’ wide, and 8’ tall. So the building has a footprint of 24’ x 40’ – 960 sq ft. and 16 ft tall for a parts price of $4200. Incredible.
Why are there homeless people?

@gailcalled Those are gorgeous!!! I could plop a few of those babbies in my back yard and use them as an office or garden shed. I noticed the price on a couple of those houses. They were astonishingly high, considering.